| Submit your comments on this article | ||
| Europe | ||
| Erdogan's Big Prize: Europe At Odds over Visa Freedom for Turks | ||
| 2016-05-01 | ||
| Brussels is likely to open the door for visa-free travel to Europe for Turkish citizens, even if Ankara doesn't fulfill all the conditions imposed. Many in Europe are concerned that it could trigger a wave of new refugees from Turkey itself. Until late in the evening, the visit had gone unusually harmoniously. The meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, EU Council President Donald Tusk and EU Commission Deputy President Frans Timmermans with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Gaziantep felt almost like a family get-together. Davutoglu even brought a cake for Tusk, who had celebrated his birthday the previous day. But at 10 p.m., the conversation turned to the EU liberalization of its visa policy for Turkey. Timmerman asked for understanding: "We as the Commission have to prove that you have fulfilled all the conditions," he said. Otherwise there would be problems with EU member states and the European Parliament. It was the moment that Davutoglu's expression suddenly darkened. "We have delivered," he had told the group earlier. "The number of refugees has gone down and we now expect the EU to deliver on its commitments and that visa liberalization will happen."
It's likely that it will do so.
| ||
| Posted by:Steve White |